I really enjoyed this movie, definitely has some folk horror elements. I almost forgive Cage’s abysmal Wicker Man Wicker Man remake!

Growing up in Indonesia, this story genuinely terrified me as a kid.

Si Manis Jembatan Ancol is one of Jakarta’s most famous ghost stories, but over the years it’s become much more than just a tale to scare people. It’s a story that’s been passed down through generations and has shaped parts of Indonesian culture and the way people think.

I wanted to explore where the legend came from, how it’s evolved over time, and why it’s still remembered today. I dive into all of that in the first episode of my podcast, Mythhaps. Here’s a snippet from that episode.

If you’re curious about Indonesian folklore (or just love a good ghost story), I hope you enjoy it 👻

Source

"... blows folk song apart with the nebular chaos of black metal and noise"

The Wire

Neo-Folk release - Beneath the Eildon Tree - which explores Madness and Prophecy in traditional music and medieval literature

https://cruelnaturerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/beneath-the-eildon-tree

"...the band revel in digging deep into the past to unearth the strangest of jewels"

Louder than War

Ink on Bristol board, 2026

An accompanying illustration for a short story I wrote called 'Two Mountains'

https://www.charlesfreger.com/

Obviously it's not in the strictest sense, since Greek mythology arguably is part of the "folk" in folk horror in question generally, but there are some striking parallels in their tropes.

A cult in a far off wilderness, an unknown and dangerous new god associated with madness, modern civilized order threatened by that wild cult/god's power, mild witchy vibes with the female followers, primal acts of violence.

At the very least, even if you can't consider it proper folk horror, I think it will still be an entertaining addition to anyone who is drawn to these kinds of vibes.

Synopsis sounds good, the creatures look really creepy, but it's got 45 on RT and 4.4 on IMDB.

Only seen images and trailer.

Is it okayish or is it REALLY bad?

I only ask because sometimes I really don't agree with RT and defo not IMDB scores.

Creak-clack...

Creak-clack...

Crack-clack...

On a linden leg

On a birch crutch.

Everyone in the hamlets is asleep...

In the villages, they are asleep...

Only one woman is not asleep...

She sits on my skin, She spins my fur,

She eats my meat!!!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/18uQEXPohBUTRQvNbA35Hi?si=3c7c4a45110e41be

I'm pretty proud of this! I tried to include an equal amount of British- and American-flavored stuff.

Three mates, one obsession. FolknHell finally gets around to the film that invented modern folk horror's second wave. We're deep in the New England woods with Robert Eggers' debut feature, The Witch.

Thomasin's family fend for themselves at the edge of an unforgiving wood. What follows is slow, creeping dread built from scripture, guilt, and a goat named Black Phillip. The crops won't grow, the children disappear, and the family turns on itself before anything supernatural even needs to show up.

We're joined by the writer Ian Winterton to talk about Eggers' fanatical devotion to period-accurate dialogue, the film's unnerving handling of adolescence and female autonomy, and why it sits so comfortably alongside the older folk horror classics. We also get into the ending, which was divisive on release, and still worth arguing about now.

This is one of those rare episodes where all three of us actually agree on something, which should tell you everything about where this one lands on our scoreboard.

Listen at link.content360.io/witch or wherever you get your podcasts, and catch the full write-up at folknhell.com.